FLOR500

Florida is turning 500 years old, and one Miami-based artist is giving the state a floral facelift as a birthday gift.

Five-hundred years ago, Juan Ponce de Leon was searching for the Fountain of Youth when he arrived in Florida. He named it la Florida (translation: Flowery Land) because of its beautiful flora. Today, Florida International University Artist-in-Residence Xavier Cortada is inviting all Floridians to help bring back some of the natural beauty Ponce de Leon saw.

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